By KATIE MARGOLIS and LAUREN STEINBERGER
Various forms of e-cigarettes, especially Juuls, are becoming increasingly popular among high school students. Juuls are vaporizing devices used as an alternative to smoking cigarettes which contain nicotine salts and flavoring.
One reason some young people use Juuls rather than cigarettes is that the smell of a Juul is not easily detected. Juuls can be bought with various flavor pods which have a sweet scent, similar to perfume, air fresheners, or candy. The Juul device costs $34.99 and a pack of 4 pods costs $15.99. Many users believe that these are less harmful than cigarettes because of the absence of tar. According to the annual survey “Monitoring the Future” conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 35.8% of high school seniors in the United States tried vaping
People are not fully aware of the risks of vaping. Freshman Olivia S. said, “It’s not good, but it’s not as bad as smoking a cigarette.”
Vaping can actually cause many health problems. Although used as a way to stop smoking cigarettes, Juuls still contain nicotine and can be highly addictive. In each pod, there is 5 percent nicotine by weight. This is equivalent to one pack of cigarettes. Sophomore Nuzhat T. said, “I feel that people probably think that since it’s water-based, it’s better for you, but I feel that vaping is more detrimental to your health in a short amount of time than smoking cigarettes is. Neither one is okay.” World Language teacher Ms. Lanfranchi said, “It’s smoking. It still carries risks.” The chemicals in these devices can cause severe lung damage which is also a major side effect of smoking cigarettes. According to a “New York Times” article, many vaporizers contain high levels of formaldehyde, a toxic chemical and cancer-causing agent.
Jericho High School principal Ms. Rosenberg believes that providing students with knowledge is one of the best ways to prevent them from vaping in school. “We are trying to educate them. Unfortunately, we think that 10th grade health is too late for that to be happening. It really needs to be happening in younger grades,” she said. There are severe consequences regarding the use of Juuls in school. Mrs. Rosenberg said, “If [students] are actually caught Juuling or vaping it is an automatic out-of-school suspension.”
While only about a half dozen instances of vaping on school grounds have been reported, the issue may be more prevalent than people think. Jericho High School sent out an email to families informing them of the vaping issue. The email provided information on what these devices are, as well as links to websites with further information to educate parents.
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